Sport: Swimming Inducted: 2005 Country: USA Born: April 15, 1967, in Los Angeles,
California
One of the Olympic Games all-time most celebrated women athletes,
Dara Torres competed in four Olympiads over sixteen years,
winning nine medals and setting three World records.
The first American to swim in four Olympics, Torres won a gold medal in the 400-meter
Freestyle Relay (3:43.43) at her first Olympics in 1984. At the 1988 Games, she
earned a silver medal in the 4x100m Medley Relay and bronze in the 4x100m Freestyle
Relay. Voted U.S. Olympic Team captain in 1992 by her fellow athletes at the
Barcelona Games, Torres won gold again in the 4x100m Freestyle Relay, and contributed
to a new event world record–3:39.46.
In 1999, after a seven-year absence from competitive swimming, Torres decided
to make an attempt to qualify for the 2000 Olympics. She not only qualified for
the Sydney Games, she captured five medals, including a pair of golds––in
the 4x100m Freestyle Relay in new World record time–3:36.61, and 4x100m
Medley Relay, setting another world record–3:58.30. Torres also took home
three individual bronze medals, one each in the 50m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle,
and 100m Butterfly.
When the Millennium year (2000) ended, 33-year old Torres was the World’s
No. 2 in Women’s 100m Butterfly and No. 3 in the 50m Freestyle.
From 1983 to 1986, the native Southern Californian held the World’s best
time in the 50m Freestyle–25.62: and in 1988, owned the World record in
the 100m Freestyle–55.30.
As a University of Florida undergraduate, Torres earned 28 NCAA All-America swimming
awards, the maximum amount of All-America honors possible. Her career U.S. record
includes eight National 50m Freestyle titles won from 1982 to 2000; four 100m
Freestyle championships 1985-2000; and the 1991 200m Freestyle championship.
